EP0829417B1 - Electrically propelled small vehicle - Google Patents

Electrically propelled small vehicle Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0829417B1
EP0829417B1 EP97830444A EP97830444A EP0829417B1 EP 0829417 B1 EP0829417 B1 EP 0829417B1 EP 97830444 A EP97830444 A EP 97830444A EP 97830444 A EP97830444 A EP 97830444A EP 0829417 B1 EP0829417 B1 EP 0829417B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
motor vehicle
vehicle according
motor
seat
vehicle
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP97830444A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0829417A3 (en
EP0829417A2 (en
Inventor
Giacomo D'ascanio
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of EP0829417A2 publication Critical patent/EP0829417A2/en
Publication of EP0829417A3 publication Critical patent/EP0829417A3/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0829417B1 publication Critical patent/EP0829417B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
    • B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
    • B62D31/00—Superstructures for passenger vehicles
    • B62D31/003—Superstructures for passenger vehicles compact cars, e.g. city cars

Definitions

  • FR 2 387 139 A comprises the features mentioned in the preamble of claim 1 of the present application.
  • a motor vehicle which attempts to at least reduce some of the disadvantages of common cars is known from DE-A-4306094.
  • the object of the invention is to provide a motor vehicle which intrinsically has all three characteristics of a bicycle as set forth above. This object is achieved with the combination of features of claim 1. Additional advantageous features are set forth in the dependent claims.
  • the motor vehicle of the invention which has a conventional structure - i.e. with four wheels and a passenger compartment-possesses the following combined characteristics:
  • the electric motor which is built into each of the drive wheels, can be of the synchronous type, with a rotor fitted with permanent magnets and with an encoder that measures the angular position of the said permanent magnets with respect to the stator housing the windings, the encoder data being processed by the motor's electronic control unit.
  • the rechargeable electric batteries will advantageously be located under the seats, in the floor of the vehicle.
  • an optional generator unit can be installed consisting of an internal combustion engine or a turbine or fuel cells which use a liquid fuel of the type already on sale or which could be sold at existing petrol stations.
  • This solution is known as a hybrid embodiment, as opposed to the solely electric version.
  • the reference numeral 1 denotes the body of a passenger compartment having very small dimensions which, in practice, are: a maximum length A of about 220 cm; a length B of approximately 180 cm, i.e. the maximum length taken up by the vehicle when parked transverse to the road, with its front wheels up against the kerb; a vehicle width C of about 100 cm or less; and a height D of about 140/150 cm.
  • the passenger compartment can accommodate two seats S1 and S2 for two people sitting in tandem, essentially positioned like two passengers on a motorcycle or equivalent vehicle; the front seat S1 can flip forwards in order to make it easier for the passenger who is to sit in the rear seat S2 to get in.
  • the body of the passenger compartment will be fitted with appropriate bumpers of the energy-absorbing type or of another known and equivalent type.
  • the reference 3 denotes two side doors which are wide enough to allow easy access to the two tandem seats described above.
  • the references 5 and 7 denote the front wheels and the rear wheels respectively.
  • the front wheels can be driven wheels as well as steered wheels. They will be of a specific type, as illustrated for example in Fig. 4, in which the reference 9 denotes the hub on which the bearings 10 for the wheel 12 will be provided, the latter being of a type advantageously accommodating a tyre with a relatively wide tread.
  • the wheel 12 with a hub cap 12A will be designed so as to constitute an electric motor having permanent magnets 14 integral with the wheel and windings 16 for stator excitation, the stator being mounted on the hub 9.
  • the motor is therefore of synchronous type, the permanent-magnet rotor being integral with the wheel and the stator being mounted inside the wheel.
  • An encoder 18 is designed to measure the angular position of the wheel, and therefore of the permanent magnets 14, with respect to the internal stator on which the windings 16 are mounted.
  • the encoder data will expediently be sent to an electronic unit which is designed to process these data in order to determine which commands to send to the motor and in particular the excitation level of the windings 16 in order to start rotation.
  • the two front steered and driven wheels 5 will each be fitted with a motor as described above, so that there is no longer any need for mechanical transmission and in particular for the differential gearing for the wheels and the joints for ensuring the orientation of the steered wheels.
  • the two motors of the drive wheels 5 can be powered by batteries 20 located on the floor of the vehicle, beneath the two tandem passenger seats S1 and S2 (see the plan view in Fig. 2 and the side view in Fig. 1).
  • the batteries are positioned such that they efficiently contribute to the stability of the vehicle when it is travelling around bends.
  • the reference 22 denotes an electronic motor control unit which is positioned behind the batteries and on top of which the spare wheel 24 can be stored.
  • the reference 26 denotes the steering wheel which is conveniently located so that the passenger in the front seat of the pair of tandem seats can reach it easily. Together with the steering wheel, suitable instruments will be provided in a dashboard of what would be a fairly basic type.
  • the steering wheel 26 is positioned such that it is particularly easy to access, even from outside the vehicle, via the window 3A in each of the doors 3. This layout means that once the driver (denoted by the reference U in Fig. 3) has dismounted, he can easily reach the steering wheel 26 from the outside in order to guide the vehicle alongside him. Located on the steering wheel 26 (see Fig.
  • horn 28 - two buttons designed to cause the vehicle to advance or stop which are activated by means of a button 43 found on the driver's seat only once the driver has got up from his seat in order to get out of the vehicle.
  • the vehicle has two doors, or at any rate two windows 3A, one on either side of the vehicle body, it would be useful to position the controls - for example the controls 28 and 30 - on both sides of the steering wheel 26, as can be seen in Fig. 5, so that they can comfortably be reached by the driver U once he has dismounted and irrespective of whether he is on the right or left-hand side of the vehicle.
  • the electronic processing unit 22 and the electric motors will be made such that they allow the vehicle to advance at a reduced speed, comparable to a person's walking speed, and switch-overs will be provided so that the vehicle can pass from this reduced speed to a complete stop, the switch-over taking place each time the dismounted driver, as denoted by U in Fig. 3, pushes the button.
  • the vehicle can be moved manually and effortlessly, even uphill, without any manoeuvrability problems since the means for manoeuvring and moving the vehicle are accessible from the outside through the side window and are within easy reach of the dismounted driver U.
  • the vehicle can be manoeuvred in much the same way as a bicycle may be pushed, and without the need to balance it as is, on the contrary, necessary in the case of two-wheeled vehicles. It will thus be possible to move the vehicle, whether in order to travel through pedestrianized areas or in order to manoeuvre it while parking, if necessary.
  • the front part 1X of the passenger compartment prefferably be slightly raised so that the vehicle can be parked perpendicularly to the traffic flow on the road, with its front wheels 5 up against the kerb M and all four wheels resting on the road surface S.
  • the length B referred to above will be such as to allow the vehicle to be parked perpendicularly to the road edge, therefore allowing more space in which to park, even within the confines of the parking bays usually available - in accordance with road traffic regulations - for parking conventional vehicles parallel to the pavement M.
  • the supply and storage of energy may be ensured solely by the batteries 20, with the option of recharging them while the vehicle is parked, thereby giving the vehicle a range proportionate to the energy storage capacity of the batteries installed on board.
  • the vehicle can also be fitted with an optional auxiliary generator unit 34 in the form of an internal combustion engine or a turbine engine connected to an alternator or, alternatively, in the form of fuel cells which use as their energy source a liquid fuel of the type currently sold in ordinary petrol stations or which could easily be sold there.
  • this solution - which is usually known as a hybrid embodiment - has the enormous advantage of eliminating the not insignificant problem of having to recharge the batteries since it is possible to fill up at any ordinary petrol station and only use the batteries when driving around town. The batteries would then normally be completely or partially recharged while driving out of town.
  • the optional auxiliary unit 34 that generates electricity using a liquid fuel would be installed in a hybrid-electric model which would not be restricted to the limited range of the battery-only model; this unit 34 could be located under the bonnet.
  • the side window 3A (usually in the door 3) is relatively very wide in order to allow the driver to access the steering wheel once he has dismounted, when he has to reach the steering wheel through the window 3A.
  • a closure element can be provided which consists of a flexible transparent sheet 36, usually made of synthetic resin, that can be wound on to and unwound from a roller 38 which may be an elastic-return roller located beneath the window 3A, while the sheet 36 can be raised by means of a handle 40 until it reaches an upper locking device 42 in order to close off the window opening.
  • the sheet 36 will be guided along guide strips 3B along the edges of the window so that, once deployed, i.e. unwound, in order to close off the window opening, the sheet 36 curves so as to form a sufficiently strong and rigid surface which is reinforced by the sloping front edge of the window 3A that acts as a guide for the sheet 36.
  • the electronic unit 22 that controls the electric motors also comprises a device for recharging the batteries, the power being supplied via an ordinary electric socket, for example via the domestic mains.
  • the front suspension can be a conventional MacPherson strut suspension.
  • the rear suspension can be of the type in which the wheels are held by moving arms, with a spring system and shock absorbers.
  • the vehicle is in the form of a miniaturized car with four wheels, occupying a surface area in plan view less than one third that of a normal car and having a length that even enables it to be parked at right angles to the road edge rather than only parallel to it.
  • passenger comfort is excellent because the number of passengers carried is limited to two (or one adult and two children) and because they sit in tandem, with one person sitting partly between the legs of the other when viewed from the side, positioned similarly to passengers on a motor scooter, although the car's structure is that of an enclosed vehicle.
  • the seats are wide and of the type commonly used in motor cars and can even be fitted with headrests.
  • the rear seat can be removed and replaced with a comparment for transporting goods (van version).
  • the motor vehicle (car or van) of the invention offers the three characteristics typical of the bicycle, which are: the lack of both chemical and noise pollution; the small amount of space it takes up on the road, especially from the front-taking up the width of one person plus the space either side needed for the dynamic stability of two-wheeled vehicles; and the option of being easily moved manually around pedestrianized areas, and even uphill, once the driver has dismounted.
  • a control device In order to move the car once the driver has dismounted, a control device can be provided that sets a predetermined constant vehicle speed, equivalent to walking speed (preceded and followed, respectively, by a suitable acceleration and deceleration phase) while, when the vehicle has come to a stop, a suitable braking mechanism is activated. While the vehicle is stopped the braking action may be provided by the (synchronous, direct-current) motor for a predetermined period of time, after which the handbrake is automatically engaged and the motor switched off.
  • tyres of a type and shape that have, as is usually the case, a coefficient of kinetic friction on dry roads which is not greater than 0.8 and, in exceptional cases, not greater than 0.9, in order to avoid the risk of this particularly narrow vehicle overturning when travelling around bends.
  • tyres with a low coefficient of rolling friction which have been specially designed for use on electric vehicles can be employed.
  • the motor vehicle can also be produced in an open-top version, which will have at least one roll bar in the area corresponding to the roof of the vehicle in order to ensure the required passenger safety in the event of an accident involving the vehicle overturning.
  • the lower rear part of the vehicle can be slightly rounded, with the bottom of the vehicle being covered with a plastic having a low coefficient of friction (such as, for example, so-called "Teflon”) so that, in exceptional cases, the car can get down from a pavement which is relatively high with respect to the road surface without damaging the bodywork.
  • a plastic having a low coefficient of friction such as, for example, so-called "Teflon”

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Arrangement Or Mounting Of Propulsion Units For Vehicles (AREA)
  • Automatic Cycles, And Cycles In General (AREA)
  • Motorcycle And Bicycle Frame (AREA)
EP97830444A 1996-09-11 1997-09-09 Electrically propelled small vehicle Expired - Lifetime EP0829417B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
IT96FI000210A IT1288140B1 (it) 1996-09-11 1996-09-11 Autoveicolo a quattro ruote con abitacolo automobilistico equiparabile alla bicicletta ai fini delle norme sulla circolazione e sul
ITFI960210 1996-09-11

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0829417A2 EP0829417A2 (en) 1998-03-18
EP0829417A3 EP0829417A3 (en) 1998-05-06
EP0829417B1 true EP0829417B1 (en) 2002-01-23

Family

ID=11351799

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP97830444A Expired - Lifetime EP0829417B1 (en) 1996-09-11 1997-09-09 Electrically propelled small vehicle

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0829417B1 (zh)
CN (1) CN1105045C (zh)
DE (1) DE69710011D1 (zh)
IT (1) IT1288140B1 (zh)

Families Citing this family (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
ITMI980828A1 (it) * 1998-04-20 1999-10-20 Antonio Ceccotti Piccolo autoveicolo da citta'
US6328121B1 (en) * 1999-03-31 2001-12-11 Richard W. Woodbury Ultra-narrow automobile stabilized with ballast
JP4214759B2 (ja) * 2002-10-29 2009-01-28 スズキ株式会社 電動式不整地走行四輪車
FR2899556A1 (fr) * 2006-04-06 2007-10-12 Jean Marc Beller Vehicule motorise comportant au moins une roue motrice et un moteur en position lateral
CN102358213A (zh) * 2011-08-22 2012-02-22 翟旭 一种节能环保缓解拥堵的实用小型乘用车
FR3092079B1 (fr) * 2019-01-24 2021-01-15 Psa Automobiles Sa Véhicule terrestre étroit, à modules de stockage d’énergie électrique superposés
US20210316797A1 (en) * 2020-04-13 2021-10-14 Kelvin Cannon Personal Transportation Vehicle

Family Cites Families (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2387139A1 (fr) * 1977-04-15 1978-11-10 Guimbal Jean Voiturette urbaine a double motorisation
ATE38364T1 (de) * 1984-09-25 1988-11-15 Aebi & Co Ag Lenkhilfe an einem zweispurigen fahrzeug.
CN85105375A (zh) * 1985-07-09 1986-01-10 陈永铵 汽车方向盘内的控制盘
CN2137218Y (zh) * 1992-09-28 1993-06-30 李海建 一种方向盘中仪表板
DE4306094A1 (de) * 1993-02-27 1994-09-01 Edgar Loehr Umweltfreundliches, mehrsitziges Leichtfahrzeug mit Muskelkraftantrieb
DE4329859A1 (de) * 1993-09-03 1995-03-16 Hotzenblitz Mobile Gmbh Co Kg Vorrichtung für eine multifunktionelle Lagerung von Ausstattungsmodulen
CN2187574Y (zh) * 1994-04-06 1995-01-18 周冬伟 一种方向盘

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CN1176191A (zh) 1998-03-18
DE69710011D1 (de) 2002-03-14
EP0829417A3 (en) 1998-05-06
IT1288140B1 (it) 1998-09-10
EP0829417A2 (en) 1998-03-18
ITFI960210A0 (it) 1996-09-11
ITFI960210A1 (it) 1998-03-11
CN1105045C (zh) 2003-04-09

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